Rangers close gap after win

27 February 2011 05:30

Nikica Jelavic grabbed a double as Rangers steered their Clydesdale Bank Premier League title bid back on track by moving to within five points of Celtic again with a 4-0 win over St Johnstone.
Kyle Lafferty and Sasa Papac were also on the scoresheet on what was a comfortable afternoon at Ibrox, after Celtic had lost at Motherwell earlier in the day.
With two games in hand over the SPL leaders, the victory over Saints means the destiny of the championship is again back in Rangers' hands - if they can take maximum points from their outstanding fixtures.
The match was just four minutes old when the Scottish champions surged into the lead. Maurice Edu - who netted the decisive goal in the Europa League - saw his shot blocked and Nikica Jelavic was the first to react and pounce on the loose ball before dispatching an unstoppable volley past the grasp of Peter Enckelman.
Kyle Lafferty eventually succeeded in adding a second for Rangers four minutes before the break when he rose above everyone else in the box to meet Gregg Wylde's corner and send a firm header into the back of the net.
There was no way back for the visitors when Sasa Papac exchanged a one-two with Jelavic, which involved a cheeky backheel from the striker, before slotting his team's third goal with 81 minutes gone. And the net was bulging again anyway with seconds to go when Jelavic sidefooted home from 10 yards to seal a comfortable win.